The cumulative effect of regulations has made small firms less competitive

See Sputtering Startups Weigh on U.S. Economic Growth by Jeffrey Sparshott of the WSJ. Excerpts:

"government data shows a decadeslong slowdown in entrepreneurship. The share of private firms less than a year old has dropped from more than 12% during much of the 1980s to only about 8% since 2010. In 2014, the most recent year of data, the startup rate was the second-lowest on record, after 2010, according to Census Bureau figures released last month, so there’s little sign of a postrecession rebound."

 "The startup slowdown may have a number of causes. Perhaps some companies need more time than backers are willing to provide. Demographics may also explain some of the shift—baby boomers are retiring and millennials are just entering the age bracket that is most common for entrepreneurs.

Rules and regulations also could be at play. Goldman Sachs economists in part blame the cumulative effect of regulations enacted since the Great Recession for reducing the availability of credit and raising the cost of doing business for small firms, making them less competitive."